THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE

"...If it's even possible to continue to exist in these sealed lands...
one day, perhaps you will make atonement for what you've done."

"Wait," echoes a voice. Ico whips around, finding the Queen sitting upon the throne that was empty just a moment before. He approaches her seat.

"What did you do to her?" he questions the Queen.

"Silence, boy. You're too late. My body has become too old and won't last much longer. But Yorda is going to grant me the power to be resurrected," she explains calmly to the boy. "To be my spiritual vessel is the fulfillment of her destiny! The next time her body wakes, Yorda will be no more."

"Now put down the sword and leave," she warns. "That is what she would want you to do." Ico remains silent, lowering his head and considering her words; but mustering a tremendous courage, he steps forward and attacks.


To even begin to form an understanding of ICO's ending, we have to examine every detail closely. The number of possibilities is astounding, and it's impossible to say which details are deliberate and crucial and which ones should be seen as inconsequential. Here, we'll look at two of the possible interpretations of this ending, which drastically differ from each other.

The first one makes use of some excellent symbolism. We watch as both of Ico's horns are snapped off forcefully, the second horn doing so once our enemy, who may be the resentful resurrector, has finally been destroyed after what may be centuries or millennia. Just as the source of this dark power is ended, its curse is ended, too, symbolized by the removal of Ico's horns.

We could easily say that Emon's utterance at the end of Shadow of the Colossus (provided above) is a foreshadowing of the events in ICO. Maybe even a prophecy, if that's how we see Emon's character. If so, that would mean that Wander's actions have been reversed -- atoned for in some manner.

But how can we link Wander's actions to Ico's? Aren't they two different people? It isn't really Wander who is atoning for his sins, but it's his descendant who is forced to do so. One could argue that it's a testament to how much greater Ico's strength of character is compared to his ancestor, that he had the strength to bear the burden of what was right when he was needed, when his heroic ancestor did not. By this idea, it was never Wander who was going to reverse the rise of Dormin -- he had his chance -- and instead the responsibility fell down the long line of horned boys until one finally had the vigor and fortune to shoulder it.


One compelling idea, however, is that each horned boy is a reincarnation of Wander himself, who is cursed to be born again and again until he atones for his sins. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean he'd look the same each time, or even that he'd remember anything of his previous lives, but perhaps his essence, life force, or spirit (whatever you want to call it) is committed to a new body each time. So every generation, he is given another chance to do what's right, to undo his actions in Shadow of the Colossus, and in ICO he finally does this, despite the odds, and thanks in part to chance.

Under this assumption, we see many similarities between the two stories. We have two heroes tasked with saving a girl, both of whom may become Dormin's future vessel. But where one hero selfishly endangers the world to save the girl to satisfy his own emotions, the other saves her because it is right.

Another interesting thought that arises from this approach is that the Queen deliberately had the boys sacrificed before they were seemingly old enough to muster the courage to battle her and end the curse. This method seems to work, killing the boys before their righteousness could be tested, until by a stroke of chance, the rumbling of the castle sets one of the boys free.


The value of the reincarnation idea is that it helps us link Wander's actions to Ico's, to fulfill the theme of atonement a little more wholly. But let's set this aside for a moment.

Let us look at the final moments through this general interpretation. If Dormin is indeed finally undone, then we are looking at the finality of this story arch. Whatever the nature of the beach sequence, whether it's heaven, a dream, or reality, doesn't really matter much in itself. Mistakes have been corrected, balance has been restored to the natural order, and our characters are free from the tyrannous rule of Dormin and the fates that have been imposed upon them.

It could be that fortune has favored Ico and Yorda one more time and brought them to safety. It could be that Ico is dreaming of a beach he knew from his childhood (possibly on the western coast of the Forbidden Lands). It could be that neither child survived, but at least they died on their own terms: helping one another. And it could be that these children have reached some sort of heaven -- a reward for, or a natural consequence of, their selfless actions for each other -- for simple human decency. The point is that someone has paid penance for the mistakes of so many years before.


That is one interpretation, but it also disregards some details that may take us in a different direction.

The second major interpretation is not so optimistic as the first, and we may not even want to see it. It could dramatically change our opinions of some characters.

Watching as Yorda carries Ico out of the castle, we may take for granted that she has awakened, and instead may find ourselves more interested in the immediate danger than the seemingly irrelevant circumstances of how Yorda is revived.

Let's look at Yorda in this moment and scrutinize her appearance. Her stone body is suddenly shrouded in that familiar black essence, and she stands. Where have we seen a similar transformation before? We've seen it at the end of Shadow of the Colossus, as Wander dies and is finally possessed by Dormin; his body is covered in shadow, and possessed, he comes to life again. If these parallels mean anything, this could be an indication of something frightening.

Has Dormin won again?

Let's ask ourselves: was Ico's escape from his tomb possibly contrived? Was he maybe meant to use the sword to slay the spirits of the horned boys? Was it Dormin's plan to have Ico destroy the Queen's body, so that he'd be free to seize the body of Yorda? Has Yorda's white skin and dead-gray hair been an indication that she's been dead this entire time, possessed by a small fragment of Dormin that allowed her to be reanimated and to open the doors of the castle? What if this was all one big ritual?

Indeed, these can be scary thoughts, because they reject all of our previous assumptions, and may mean that our beloved Yorda was actually a device of Dormin's, used to guide Ico to the sword, then to the sacrificial chamber, and then finally to the throneroom, where the ritual was completed. Perhaps this is the reason the Queen does little to stop Ico and Yorda from proceeding to the castle's exit, until at an opportune moment, where she easily impedes their progress. Maybe even the shadow creatures were merely sent to strengthen Ico's bond to Yorda.

Looking at the things the Queen says to Ico before their battle, perhaps we can see that she doesn't say them in arrogance, but in confidence. When she says, "The next time her body wakes, Yorda will be no more," maybe she says it, knowing that in a moment she will allow Ico to slay her.


It's possible that Dormin awakens again, renewed inside Yorda. Judging by the trends we've observed in Shadow of the Colossus, it may even be likely. But why does she carry Ico to safety? Well, it may not be the benevolence offered in the previous interpretation. It may be assuring Dormin's future, once again, just as he orchestrated the survival of Wander centuries before. Once Yorda's body decays, he may need another collection of horned boys to repeat the process. In truth, this might not even be the first time this ritual has taken place.

Perhaps she sends Ico to safety so that there's a living witness who will testify to the supposed fate of the Queen, just as Dormin wanted Emon to believe he was destroyed in Shadow of the Colossus. Maybe Dormin's reign is inevitably cyclical, as his resources -- his strongholds, his bodies -- tend to crumble after his body temporarily leaves the mortal realm and searches for another body. We see this with the colossi, as they undergo rapid decay and erosion that perhaps they would have experienced normally, without Dormin's enduring presence.

So perhaps Yorda, possessed by Dormin, washes ashore near Ico, all as part of the plan. From here, maybe she plans to re-establish her rule once again, ensuring that more horned boys are born, if even Ico has anything to do with that. Maybe even the shattering of Ico's horns were a deliberate device on Dormin's part to deceive. Has Dormin slipped under the radar twice now?

Difficult to say, but if these things are true, this was all another step in Dormin's plans to persist through his adverse circumstances.


CLOSING
If the first interpretation is true, then it's likely that the third game, if related at all, will take place before ICO at some point, maybe even before Shadow of the Colossus. If Dormin has indeed been destroyed, then all that can really be done is to go back and tell another chapter about his rise or the nature of his existence, or possibly even the story between the two games.

If the second version is true, then there could be another story that takes place chronologically after ICO, because it would seem that Dormin's story has not ended yet.

Of course, there are paths in-between these polar ideas, and we're free to choose which path we'll take. But there is one choice that must be made: has Dormin been destroyed or not?

Perhaps the third game will tell us, or perhaps it will pull us further down into the mystery. Whatever Ueda gives us in the future, I'm sure will be more than simply what we as gamers want, but rather what we need in order to behold a beautiful reality. Already, with but one image, he has created a sense of wonderment for his next game. Regardless, we should hope that these secrets are never truly told to us; because the mystery they hold is what intrigues us and keeps our eyes scouring over for answers. That infinite mystery is what contains all beauty, defies all realities, and is what we must pursue endlessly and tirelessly.


FIN

THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART V: THE BROKEN PATTERN

"They tried to sacrifice me because I have horns."

"Do not be angry with us," a masked man says as he locks a horned boy inside a stone sarcophagus. "This is for the good of the village."

This boy, Ico, has no knowledge of the things that occurred near here centuries ago. Maybe he's heard stories and legends, but they do not justify why he, of all people, has horns, or why this must be his fate. It is simply a terrible truth, and part of the hand he has been dealt. It is said that horned children bring a curse upon their villages, and so they are duly sacrificed in an island castle to a dark matron.

The horned boys are not sacrificed immediately, however. They are only brought to the castle once they come of age, once their horns have grown to their full size.

These men who bring him here wear horned helmets. This could be ceremonial or rather typical -- but either way, horns have clearly become a symbol of sorts to these people. A symbol of fear? Of holiness? We cannot say, but their enigmatic Queen seems to revere these iconic features, and it's possible she herself organized the tradition of sacrificing horned boys.

For now, our focus is this dark Queen. Does she look familiar to us? Her shadowy essence certainly should, as well as her ability to use others as vessels. Even the architecture of her castle bears striking resemblances to what we've seen in Shadow of the Colossus. It's easy to assume these resemblances are purely aesthetic, but for the sake of intrigue and speculation, let's be open to the idea that they have some functional purpose, or at least implicitly indicate the preferences of someone within the narrative. Still, I will discuss the architectural similarities some other time.

Without Shadow of the Colossus, the Queen seems unique, and her aesthetic and functional aspects seem rather inconsequential, granted only for the purposes of a dark fairy tale. We don't really question the source of her power, we just assume it's a natural aspect of ICO's reality. A meaningful pattern hasn't yet been established. But as ICO's successor comes along and reveals Dormin, the Queen's shadowy nature is brought under the microscope.


The deliberate use of the shadow-like antagonist implies that this is another connection between the two games. Ueda could've taken any other visual approach to Dormin, but he specifically uses the same one as in ICO, and he also specifically ties that aesthetic style (and its fictional uses) to the horn motif.

So what are we to do with this implication? While it's still an assumption to suggest that these two antagonists are of the same origin, it's a safe one to make, because it satisfies a need for unity within the story and is supported by a concrete pattern.

Admittedly, it could be that these two antagonists simply share characteristics, but are not of the same origin. One could be a necromantic demon-being while the other is simply a sorceress of sorts, but these ideas don't really fit the clear pattern that we've been shown. That both of these beings represent themselves in this shadowy veil and both have a close relationship to horned boys strongly hints that they do have a direct connection.

So looking back at Shadow of the Colossus, we've hypothesized that Dormin has escaped his colossal prisons through sheer subterfuge, and by the rules of that hypothesis, for him to revive Mono at the end means a shred of his power must still remain within the mortal realm, or else his imprisonment would have meant nothing to begin with.

So now, a fraction of Dormin remains in the world, while the rest of him is sealed away somewhere. But where? Our greatest assumption, based on the Queen's habit of collecting horned boys, is that the essence of Dormin lies in Wander's horned body, and in the horned boys that come later. The two fused together at the end of Shadow of the Colossus, with Dormin's most prominent physical feature -- his horns -- representing his prevailing presence in Wander's body.

An interesting idea, though inconsequential, is that Dormin even chose to physically manifest himself with horns so that he could later identify which children contained his power.

Regardless, we can reasonably guess that Dormin, under the guise of Mono, raises the baby Wander in the Forbidden Lands.


A big subject many disagree on is the nature of the inheritance of the horns. ICO tells us that it happens "once every generation", but many speculations arise from this. It's unclear whether this occurrence is randomized among a certain group of people or if it has a genetic component.

A compelling solution that supports the former is that Dormin, by some metaphysical means, put the curse of his horns on to the descendants of those that entrapped him, eons before. In other words, the horns do not specifically appear in Wander's bloodline, but in the tribe or village that Wander came from, who have presumably prevailed the following centuries, evident in the similar garb characters in both games wear. The only real problem with this interpretation is that the supernatural device by which Dormin spreads this curse doesn't have a concrete basis in accordance with the set of abilities he displays within the story. We're shown Dormin's ability to control the dead, but not his ability to spread curses. Thus, the connection between Wander and the future horned boys is not concrete, though no less plausible than any other solution.

The other side of the coin is that Wander mates with someone, and that the horns do indeed travel through to his blood-related descendants. Many people immediately jump to the conclusion that he must mate with Mono, though this isn't necessarily true at all. While it wouldn't technically be incest (unless Mono was actually Wander's sister or something), it certainly violates the mother-child axioms that most modern cultures have established. Still, many theories of equal plausibility can be formulated, such as that Wander eventually finds a way out of the Forbidden Lands and re-unites with his old tribe or village (since the horned boys apparently prevail in that culture, indicated by Ico's attire), or even that many from his old village migrate to the Forbidden Lands, possibly believing the threat of Dormin to be over. The problem with this approach is that it relies heavily on a relatively complex set of assumed conditions in order to work, making it just as speculative as any other possibility.


Once we've decided which of these possibilities appeals most to our specific suspicions, we must fill in the large gap between the two stories, and our destination is the beginning of ICO.

A condition our theories must meet is that horned boys are sacrificed once every generation, and the incidences seem isolated to Ico's village. While it's possible that the horned boys prevail in many villages, via the bloodline theory or the revenge-curse theory, it doesn't really serve us to build anything on this possibility until it becomes a crucial element. It's just not useful for our current purposes.

Another condition is that the Queen has asserted some sort of dominion over these people. Whether or not she is an actual ruler, or if her influence only serves a ritualistic or religious purpose -- such as the of collecting horned boys -- is up to us, as well as the details of how she came into a position of power. We can speculate that she did it in much the same way as Dormin did when he originally impressed those that came to worship him; that is, probably by displaying some level of supernatural power, creating either fear or awe.

We can imagine a pattern of events stretching over several centuries, where a horned boy is born, raised until puberty, and then brought to be sacrificed at the castle. We can also surmise that this pattern would have continued, had it not been for Ico. But we can also speculate that Ico was to be the last horned boy, at least for awhile, as Yorda seems ripe and the Queen is apparently ready to begin the ritual.


Interestingly, Yorda's fate parallels that of Mono's. She is to be the future vessel of Dormin, just as Mono was. Yorda's origins are unclear: where she was born, to whom she was born, or even if she was born at all, and not a creation of some sort. While the Queen calls Yorda her daughter, this may not be true, and judging by the Queen's decrepit state, it likely isn't. Rather, she calls Yorda her daughter to claim some right to her, or simply to deceive Ico. The option that seems most plausible to me is that Yorda was given to the Queen at some point, likely as a demand.

By the time Ico is brought to the island castle, Mono's body has likely been alive for centuries. Dormin's life-giving power has sustained it this long, but being fragmented, it is not eternal. Her body has deteriorated to the point that it has little physical matter left at all, and so she has created, been awarded, or abducted Yorda to become her new vessel.

The Queen's plans for restoration line up perfectly with Dormin's situation at the end of Shadow of the Colossus. He is divided, but has managed to put himself into a position where he can reunite himself.

Anyway, as expressed before, Ico has, by a stroke of luck, broken the pattern established over the preceding centuries. He escapes the confines of his stone sarcophagus but immediately falls unconscious after his head hits the ground.

Ico has a premonition, finding himself in a vertical room, a path spiraling upwards along the wall. At the top, he finds a shadowy being in a cage, and her black essence drips down into a dirt-filled circular recess at the bottom of the room. Ico is soon apprehended by a similar shadowy creature who pulls him into a dark pit through the wall. The boy awakens in the sacrificial hall where he fell, noticing dozens of coffins like his own lining the wall. Are they also filled with horned boys? He doesn't yet know.


What could this premonition mean? The only decent idea I've come up with is that this dream reveals the fates of both children: perhaps we're seeing that Yorda will become an agent of Dormin's shadow -- his future vessel -- and that Ico will be pulled into -- or reunited with -- Dormin's dark immortal realm, against his own will. To wit: these are their fates unless they fight to change them.

After Ico wakes up and subsequently frees Yorda from the very place he dreamed about, they both set out to help each other escape from their own cursed fates, braving the dangers of the crumbling castle and resisting the Queen's efforts to stop them.


Let's jump to the end. I'm going to summarize it, pointing out key details.

Yorda has been captured, and Ico miraculously escapes death for the second time. He uses this opportunity to make his way back into the castle and face the Queen in order to free Yorda and to escape. After climbing through the underworks of the castle and acquiring a magical sword, Ico finally returns to the sacrificial chamber in which his escape began. Now, however, he finds the stone-turned body of Yorda surrounded by the shadowy souls of horned children. Like a game of tag, they playfully pester Ico, who swings the powerful sword at them, which seems to destroy or banish them. This action activates the inscriptions on their coffins, though what function this serves is unclear.

Having done away with each horned child, Ico uses the sword to enter the Queen's throneroom. Here, he confronts her, and she sends him flying against a wall, snapping off one of his horns. Gathering himself, Ico wages war on her, assaulting her magical barrier until it goes away, and then finally plunging the sword into her heart. Her body disappears with an explosive force, sending Ico flying back against the wall, unconscious, his other horn snapping off in the process.


As the castle begins to crumble, Yorda's stone body awakens, covered in shadow. She enters the throneroom and carries Ico's body back the way he was originally brought in. In the underground harbor, she sets him into a boat and pushes it away to safety, staying there to sink with the castle.


As Ico floats away, the castle collapses -- even the very islands on which it is built. After some unspecified time, he awakens in the boat, beached on some shore. He hops clumsily out of the boat, possibly in pain from his two broken horns. He stands and walks down the beach until he comes across the peaceful body of Yorda. She stirs slightly, and we've reached the end.


What exactly happened here?

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART VI

• PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE
  

THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART IV: A SHADOW STRETCHING ON

"Now, no man shall ever trespass upon this place again."

Wander cast a shadow on the world when he unleashed Dormin, one that stretches on for what may be centuries or millennia. We're tricked into thinking Dormin has been outdone, but this is clearly not the case; because in ICO, we see him again. Whether this is the Dormin we know or it is simply his legacy -- a mimicry -- the crux is the same.

By inhabiting Wander's body, Dormin gives him life again. When Emon activates the pool, it seems to siphon everything Dormin, in a metaphysical sense. Inside that pool, we can guess that all of the impurities within Wander's being, from Dormin's essence to his own sins, are washed away. All of his memories must be purged, because one cannot know innocence and yet remember guilt. Perhaps by some unpronounced natural law, this reduces Wander to his purest possible physical state as well: an infant, a tabula rasa. But Dormin still leaves his mark, his curse.

A pair of horns crown Wander's head, even as an infant. ICO, to some, implies that there is something about these horns, or maybe specifically within those who are born with them, that is important to restoring this dark power resembling Dormin.

It's very difficult to find a definitive reason why these horned boys are important. Do they house very tiny fragments of the pieces of Dormin's essence that were a part of Wander? Or are they imprints of that power? Blueprints, schematics? When Dormin possesses a person, must he fuse himself with them, and in a sense become them? Are these boys, in a way, incarnations of Dormin? The exact function of Dormin's horns can only be speculated, but it's clear that they serve as some means of restoration, some reflection of his own horns.

One frightening thought is this: were even the horns part of Dormin's plan? Let's briefly look back at Dormin's plight one more time and consider this possibility, and perhaps we can see a broader picture that doesn't just stop at Shadow of the Colossus's ending, but continues on to ICO's.

The following is based off of evidence I have already presented, though it is still fully speculative in nature. If anything is unclear, please ask me to clarify.

Dormin has had plenty of time to formulate a plan, assuming that someone would one day arrive with the Ancient Sword, and maybe he's thought up an answer to almost any such contingency. Had it been a lone warrior, perhaps Dormin could have tricked him into slaying the colossi. However, Wander's arrival likely creates an ideal situation for Dormin. He has a warrior with the will, if not also the skill, to slay the colossi, and Dormin also has two potential hosts -- either the boy or the girl.

Even if Dormin hasn't already predicted Emon's arrival, the extra host gives him an opportunity to improvise -- an insurance policy, if you will. He manipulates the situation to increase Wander's chances of success, by keeping Wander ignorant and helping him to defeat the colossi.

Upon the death of the sixteenth colossus, Dormin transports Wander's horned body back to the Shrine. One interesting idea is that here, Dormin deliberately causes the sword to land some distance away, catching the attention of Emon and his men, whereas previously, it has always been kept in Wander's hand. Nevertheless, this isn't crucial.

Dormin then allows them to escape with the sword, displaying artificial monstrous anger and force to create the illusion of authenticity. As Dormin has by now predicted, Emon casts the sword into the pool. Dormin knowingly lets himself get pulled into the pool, where he would be washed away, but also knowing that the horns he left behind would contain some part -- some shadow -- of himself.


Once the sequence ends and all is quiet, Mono awakens, possessed by a hidden fragment of Dormin. She walks to the empty pool and takes the horned infant into her arms, perhaps knowing that those horns hold the key to restoring Dormin to full power, or at least prolonging her own. Was this a part of the plan? Impossible to say with certainty, but maybe Dormin made his sacrifice believing it would only be temporary.

On a separate note, we must question why the precursors of the Forbidden Lands didn't just use Emon's final method of sealing Dormin right away, instead of using the colossi. It seems to be more absolute and consummate than the "colossi method", so what would keep them from using it?

It could be that they had already opportunistically sealed Dormin inside the idols, which then channeled his energy into the colossi. Having betrayed him, it may have been too great a risk to let him out and attempt to seal him via the "pool method". It could also be that they saw the colossi as invincible, that slaying them was an inconceivable feat, and perhaps that mitigated their worries.

I was initially inclined to speculate that the pool method did not fully seal Dormin away, that maybe it was only temporary. But someone (Joku) posed a brilliant idea: the pool method requires a human sacrifice. Dormin must take hold of a body -- he must take on a physical form -- before the pool will even draw him in. Speculation, but extremely compelling, and it suggests a reason the colossi were used instead.

Really, it could be a combination of all these things, or even something we're yet to dream up.

Regardless, by sacrificing the greater part of himself, Dormin has assured his survival and created a way of restoring his own power, even if it takes a considerable amount of time. Imaginably, survival in the smallest degree is better than no survival at all. Dormin has reversed his fortunes and set a long plan into motion.


Thus, perhaps we have our powerful Queen.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART V

• PART V: THE BROKEN PATTERN
• PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE

THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART III: DORMIN, OUR ANTAGONIST

"Make haste, for time is short..."

We've formed an understanding of Dormin's talents and from looking at his past, we can see what motives may be driving his actions within Shadow of the Colossus's narrative.

The amount of time that passes between Dormin's abandonment and when Wander crosses the threshold into the Forbidden Lands is ambiguous. Judging by the degradation and erosion of the world, and by the mythical way Emon passes on the story to Wander, it's been a lengthy spell. It could be centuries or even a millennium or two.

Whatever the case may be, Dormin has been waiting and watching for an opportunity to escape. We can infer from Dormin's dialogue with Wander that the Ancient Sword is key to his escape. He knows that the Ancient Sword is his only hope for freedom, and he must understand that the chances of someone both bringing the Ancient Sword and managing to defeat the colossi are slim.

As I pointed out in Part I, it seems as though Dormin's attention is elsewhere at the moment Wander places Mono's body upon the altar. When Wander unveils the Ancient Sword, the shadowy creatures suddenly wither away and Dormin hurriedly descends to the Shrine to speak to him.

Immediately understanding the situation, evident in the presence of the dead girl lying on his altar, Dormin masterfully hides his excitement.

"Hmm? Thou possesses the Ancient Sword? So thou art mortal..." he speaks craftily to Wander.

"Are you Dormin? I was told that in this place at the end of the world -- there exists a being who can control the souls of the dead." Here, Wander displays his lack of understanding of Dormin's history, obvious in the fact that he's operating on second-hand information. Wander doesn't know the whole truth, and recognizing this, perhaps Dormin uses the opportunity to keep that truth further unclear, so as not to turn Wander away.

"Thou art correct... We are the one known as Dormin..." he answers innocently enough.

Turning to Mono, Wander says, "She was sacrificed for she had a cursed fate. Please, I need you to bring back her soul..."

Dormin laughs and speaks, "That maiden's soul? Souls that are once lost cannot be reclaimed... Is that not the law of mortals?"

We must ask ourselves why Dormin would react this way, knowing his chances of escape are still terribly narrow. We can quickly suppose that Dormin is doing it to seem impartial, to hide his stake in the events which will potentially follow. Were he too eager to fulfill Wander's request, he would run the risk of seeming suspicious and turning Wander away.

Sensing Wander's disappointment, Dormin swiftly alleviates his doubts. "With that sword, however... it may not be impossible." Wander's hopes rise again.

"That is, of course, if thou manage to accomplish what We askest." Here, Dormin reveals that there's a catch, but in his ensuing description of that task, he still mentions nothing of his own entrapment. Such a detail might reveal to Wander a reason not to go through with it.

Arguably one of Dormin's most puzzling actions is when he warns the boy, "But heed this, the price you pay may be heavy indeed." On the surface, this seems like a bit of a conflict of interests for Dormin, risking changing Wander's mind. But perhaps this is Dormin's most cunning bit of manipulation yet.

It's almost paramount that he test Wander's resolve. He needs to know how efficient his new tool will be, what amount of adversity he will endure, and to what lengths he will go to resurrect his girl. By giving Wander this warning, he lets Wander know that they're in this together -- that they have entered a mutual contract of sorts -- and he sets his plan into stone. Sensing Wander's guilt, it's almost a promise of penance, of justice. After all, regardless of Wander's involvement in Mono's death, he must be driven by guilt, if nothing else, by being unable to prevent it.

Wander sets out to complete his task, with Dormin assisting in every way he can. It seems as though Dormin's knowledge of the colossi is rather intimate, as he tells Wander their locations, their temperaments, their faults, and he provides information on how to defeat them.


This pattern continues until the final hour, once Wander has defeated the 15th colossus and stands now only against the last. "Thy wish is nearly granted... But someone now stands to get in thy way... Make haste, for time is short..." Dormin may have known about Lord Emon's pressing location for a while now, and no longer able to hide all of his desperation, he urges Wander to finish the task.

Wander sets out to kill the last colossus, and meanwhile, Lord Emon and his men arrive at the Shrine of Worship. They behold the crumbled idols along the walls, understanding the gravity of the situation. They watch as the final idol falls.

Wander has completed the task.

A moment later, we see Emon muttering a quiet prayer over Mono's body. Abruptly, Wander's decrepit, horned body appears there in the Shrine, along with the Ancient Sword.

Where has Dormin been in all of this? Evidently, he has not revealed himself yet to Emon, though certainly he has been silently watching both Wander and the men inside the Shrine.

As Wander struggles to his feet, shadowy creatures form at his sides. Emon berates him for his actions -- for stealing the sword and trespassing on the Forbidden Lands, and most of all, for using the "forbidden spell". Wander stands and lugs his broken, fatigued body forward toward Mono. A soldier shoots a crossbow bolt into his leg, and another soon stands over him and thrusts a sword into Wander's heart.

But by the force of Wander's will, and to the horror of Emon and his men, Wander stands again, pulling the sword from his chest, driven by the desire to see Mono awaken before he dies. But that hope is not fulfilled, not yet. Wander collapses and dies, his body soon covered in Dormin's familiar shadowy essence.

Now that Wander is dead and Dormin's ability unleashed, he takes hold and Wander's body grows into an enormous demon-like entity, who soon assails Emon and his men with his fists. But, cramped in the confining hall, and due to the injured leg of his vessel, Dormin finds it difficult to battle the men, and they soon get away, having grabbed the Ancient Sword along their way.

This monstrous form of Dormin seems oddly impotent. Is there something else going on? Let's keep our eyes open as we watch the next series of events closely.

Emon reaches the top of the spiral room and thrusts the Ancient Sword into the pool below, creating an enormous magical suction. This action, or Dormin's subsequent disappearance into the pool, also seems to be the impetus that causes the destruction of the white bridge. Dormin, pulled by this wind, struggles to flee, his enormous shadowy form quickly reducing back down to Wander's size. It's an interesting thing to note that the same music plays here that plays as a colossus collapses dead on to the ground.

After resisting fiercely, Dormin and Wander inevitably fall into the pool, upon which the suction abruptly ceases. A serene silence takes us, and we're left wondering what this may mean.

Has Dormin been sealed away? We're led to believe so, but it may not be the case. Shortly, we're shown that Mono has been revived, and she sits up and steps off the altar. How is this possible if Dormin has been sealed away?

Perhaps he is not.

The following is speculation based on very subtle details and inferences, and is by no means fact.

Those who watch the ending may notice that the female side of Dormin's voice vanishes once he possesses Wander, never to be heard from again. And let's think about this again; why was Dormin, cunning and crafty as he is, so ill-prepared for the Emon contingency? Our immediate reaction is that he simply was no match for Emon's quick thinking, that he was again outdone by the magical solutions designed by the ancient forerunners.

But let's take nothing for granted and put ourselves in Dormin's position. He knew of Emon's presence for some time before Emon arrived, as he warned Wander of his approach, and we can assume that all that while, he was cooking up some scheme to deal with that threat. Otherwise, this character falls a little flat on his face.

Secondly, why would Dormin even reveal himself in full form if he could not easily fight inside the idol chamber, if his foes could so easily get away? While his presence in this scene is stunning, his efforts are decidedly meager. It's almost as though he isn't even trying.

The most intriguing answer to these puzzling discrepancies is that this was an act -- a ruse to convince Emon that the threat of Dormin would be undone, or sealed for another period of time. Dormin presents himself to Emon and feigns revenge to instill the confidence in Emon that his following actions would wholly banish his foe.

For his plan to work, Dormin would have to sacrifice the greater part of himself -- that which resided in Wander -- for the sake of the illusion, while the other part (possibly the female aspect) would stay back until it was safe to come out, upon which time it possessed Mono.

Again, we've established, for the purposes of this interpretation, that Dormin's own essence is necessary to resurrect a body. For Dormin to revive Mono, a part of him would have to reside inside of her.

Without an understanding of Dormin's history and motives, we would view his resurrection of Mono as an act of benevolence, but now maybe we can see that it's actually a self-serving action; because now he has a foothold in the mortal realm, where he can walk about and find a way to find that part of himself which he had to sacrifice for survival.

Then, possibly, he could re-establish his reign.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART IV

• PART IV: A SHADOW STRETCHING ON
  
• PART V: THE BROKEN PATTERN
  
• PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE
  

THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART II: THE HISTORY OF DORMIN

"That place began from the resonance of intersecting points..."

Dormin's history preceding the events of Shadow of the Colossus are as mysterious as his links to the netherworld. Any theories I present to you are nothing more than speculation, but hopefully Ueda has dropped some clues that may help slim down the number of possibilities regarding his apotheosis in the eyes of the ancient civilization. Let's take a look.

Regarding Dormin's origins, Lord Emon gives us a very mysterious line: "That place... began from the resonance of intersecting points... They are memories replaced by ens and naught and etched into stone. Blood, young sprouts, sky--and the one with the ability to control beings created from light." It's difficult to say with certainty, as this could also be a bit of mythologizing on Emon's part, but it seems as though Dormin has existed in the Forbidden Lands since the creation of the world, making his age impossible to tell.

Still, we can surmise that there was a point at which these people encountered Dormin. Perhaps they stumbled upon him or maybe it was he who found them. Either way, he convinced them, possibly by demonstrating his gift, that he was a powerful being. These people may have been a simple village or a nomadic tribe of horsemen, but under Dormin's direction, they obviously flourished, possibly even absorbing and assimilating other nearby populations. They built monuments to Dormin, the tallest of which was the Shrine of Worship, a dauntingly colossal tower. It also appears that they settled there, as we can see what are possibly the remains of public buildings.


To the west, secluded in the desert, we find what looks like a prison. To the northeast, there lies a giant fortress near the threshold of the Forbidden Lands. Directly south of the Shrine, we see what could've once been a beautiful mansion, and scattered about the peninsula we find colosseums, fortresses, water complexes, sacrificial temples, lake pavilions, bridges, and even a secluded city to the northwest. It likely took them years to construct all of these places.

A point of notable relevance is this: did Dormin rule through fear or benevolence? The structures erected by his subjects are certainly beautiful and elegant, but is this due to their love of Dormin or because of his mandate?

We cannot definitively conclude, but deciding on one of these can indicate the nature of the people's choice to abandon him. It could be that an incident revealed Dormin's manipulative nature, and they turned on him; it could also be that, fearing Dormin and/or loathing his talent, they plotted his abandonment almost from the beginning. It's even a relatively popular theory that the people found another being to worship, and they renounced Dormin in its favor.

Personally, I like the idea that one of these resurrections didn't go so well, that the people were so offended and horrified by the unnatural consequences of Dormin's power, they felt obligated to seal him away.

In any case, these people found a way to trap him. How they did this is yet another detail that is completely up to our imagination, as we're left with no specifics. It could've been by trickery, by some force of magic, or by a sudden opportunity that he was sealed into the colossi. I'll save my thoughts on that for another time.

Now that we've painted a picture of Dormin's abilities and his past, let's take another look at the events which occur during Shadow of the Colossus.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART III

• PART III: DORMIN, OUR ANTAGONIST
  
• PART IV: A SHADOW STRETCHING ON
  
• PART V: THE BROKEN PATTERN
  
• PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE
  

THE RESENTFUL RESURRECTOR

PART I: INSIGHT INTO HIS TALENTS

"We, Dormin, have arisen anew..."

Understanding this compelling character is crucial to piecing together the ancient past etched into this bleak, lifeless world known as the "Forbidden Lands". One might think the story is about Wander -- our protagonist -- and the colossi he has set out to slay, but it is not too far-fetched to posit that this story is more about Dormin. In fact, perhaps even the story of ICO centers around Dormin more than we may think; perhaps the story of the horned boys could more accurately be called the story of Dormin's prolonged presence on earth.

All of the elements of Shadow of the Colossus's plot hinge on Dormin's existence. But what is Dormin? A god? A demon? Is he good? Is he evil? Do these terms even apply? Much more broadly, how and why has his existence lead to the colossi and the abandonment of this beautiful seaside domain?

It's hard to say, really, as we don't have much to go on. In Ueda's style, we're told only what is essential, so let us hope that with that little amount of information we have, we can infer a great deal. For the sake of ease, I am going to refer to Dormin as a "he", despite the duality of Dormin's voice. Nonetheless, this usage is reinforced by Lord Emon's own way of referring to Dormin ("He's been resurrected!").

First, a few outward facts about Dormin. We know he was worshiped here at the Shrine of Worship as some sort of greater being. He appears to consist of several entities, as he refers to himself as "We". It's not entirely clear how many entities are part of that group, but as Wander kills each colossus, a new shadowy being stands over him, alongside the others. If these are parts of Dormin, then it appears he has sixteen distinct entities. However, this may not be the case, as we see in the introduction scene several shadowy beings freely present themselves before Wander. Whether or not these are additional parts of Dormin that were never sealed away or simply separate "lesser" entities is unclear.


I've come up with one possible answer to these other beings' presence. Once Wander shows the sword to these creatures, the camera cuts to a lightning-streaked sky, and then to the light-filled aperture in the ceiling of the Shrine, suggesting Dormin's descent to the Shrine. This tells us that his attention was elsewhere, and that these creatures were merely sentinels.

A second thing to note is that he has two distinct voices, one being male and the other female, and they speak (more or less) in unison. This detail may be a significant one when we consider the events that transpire during Shadow of the Colossus's ending.

Dormin is clearly a supernatural being and, whether by his own fault or not, has been sealed away because of his powers, which Lord Emon dubs the "forbidden spell". If we can understand what these powers are, maybe we can understand why the ancient people who lived here saw Dormin as a threat. So what are these powers?

The game explicitly tells us two things that give us insight into the nature of Dormin's abilities. Firstly, we're told that he can "control beings made from light", and, secondly, on a separate note, that he can "control the souls of the dead." This first piece of information we learn from Emon's campfire monologue is curious, and at first glance, it seems we haven't really seen Dormin use this ability to control "beings created from light" in any immediately recognizable sense. So how are we supposed to approach this idea? Using what we see, hear, and perhaps implicitly understand from the narrative, how can we determine what is meant by "beings created from light"?

Despite the fact that Wander more or less confirms that "souls of the dead" and "beings created from light" are one and the same, to fully understand the intricacies of Dormin, let us ask: what is a "being created from light"? The answer to this is not terribly obvious, and my theories as to what this means have formed primarily as a result of external research of the official website (UK Version). In an interactive portion of the site, the user must click on certain hidden parts of the page to proceed, and he is rewarded with a list of questions he can ask only once (per playthrough). One of those questions is "What are those shadowy creatures?"

The site answers: "Everything casts a shadow," and it goes on to say, "When an entity exists beyond the mortal realm, a shadow is all men can see." So is this what is meant by "beings created from light"? Perhaps the fact that these shadowy beings are manifested before mortals at all is thanks solely to light, and in a sense, they are "created" by it.

But what does it mean that they exist "beyond the mortal realm"? We can take many guesses, but to me, the one that seems most obvious, practical, and unifying for the story is that they are, indeed, the souls of the dead. This definition matches up with what we already know, which is that Dormin can bring souls back from the dead, as Wander requests, and as Dormin seems to do upon the game's ending.


For the purposes of this interpretation, let us assume that Dormin's sole ability is to control the souls of the dead, as he exhibits no other significant powers within Shadow of the Colossus's timeline, other than an expanded awareness of things going on in the Forbidden Lands.

So how does this power work? Can Dormin just order souls around? Can he summon them back into their bodies? Again, how are we meant to interpret this?

One thing we may observe is that Dormin's own essence seems to be the root of his power; the "energy", so to speak, from Dormin's metaphysical presence is the very force which gives life, and it is not necessarily his ability to will beings back from the dead.

That is to say: it is possible that that the fraction of Dormin which resides inside each colossus could be the very reason these artificial creatures are able to come to life at all. This would mean that Dormin's essence compulsively and irresistibly contributes a life-giving force to whatever vessel it inhabits; but this would also mean that the vessel must already lack a life-giving force of its own. What evidence do we have to support this assumption?

Think back to the isolated moments in which Dormin brought someone back to life. In the case of Wander, Dormin does not seize control over him until he is dead -- slain by one of Emon's men. And in this moment, it is extremely apparent that Dormin's united essence is inhabiting Wander's body. In the instances prior to Wander's death, Wander is clearly in control, as his only desire is to approach Mono, to see that she is alive. If Dormin were in control in this moment, why would he risk letting his vessel become damaged? Why not grow into his enormous stature and terrorize Emon's company then? After all, in letting the soldiers injure Wander, Dormin himself is handicapped with a weak leg (thanks to the crossbow bolt).

Thus, let us postulate that Dormin's powers are governed by laws he cannot metaphysically break. As we must obey physical laws of the physical world such as gravity, inertia, and friction, Dormin too must obey the metaphysical laws of the metaphysical world.

If any of this is true, then it would also mean that Dormin's power could conceivably be harnessed. In this case, it has been harnessed by the ancient inhabitants of the Forbidden Lands for the purpose of creating self-defending fortresses that would keep the fraction of Dormin within safe from being reunited with its other pieces.

Now that we have a grasp on how Dormin's talent possibly works, let us build upon it. It's clear that Dormin is not omnipotent, as he was imprisoned against his own will. Or, at the very least, he's not all-powerful within the mortal realm. So how far does his dominion extend? Is he the divine ruler of a separate realm, where all souls go upon death? From here, we are free to our own musings. His relations to the supernatural are not clear, and so what would've been a handful of possibilities becomes hundreds or thousands. But let me point out one piece of information from which we may be able to glean some semblance of a concrete understanding.

We are led to wonder if Dormin's power originates from some authority over spirits, or a mastery of some kind of spiritual energy. In my line of thinking, if Dormin were given authority, it would have little to do with his own abilities. Merely by giving the word, he ought to have control over souls. But from what we've established, his own essence is the very driving force of his life-giving power, meaning that he himself has the ability to control the dead -- their spiritual energy, if you will -- not merely an authoritative voice. Again, this is largely speculation.

If Dormin is not an authoritative being, then what kind of being is he? Is he really a god, or in a lust for power, did he trick an ancient civilization into worshiping him for his life-giving abilities? We have to find our own answers, but one thing seems clear is that Dormin isn't as powerful as he lets on.

But where his power lacks, he makes up for with guile.

While what we have discussed here amounts to nothing more than a self-consistent interpretation, I will nonetheless say one thing: that Dormin can still speak freely and observe the happenings of the Forbidden Lands tells me that he is either not fully sealed or that his consciousness still remains in another realm of existence.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART II

• PART II: THE HISTORY OF DORMIN
  
• PART III: DORMIN, OUR ANTAGONIST
  
• PART IV: A SHADOW STRETCHING ON
  
• PART V: THE BROKEN PATTERN
  
• PART VI: PENANCE AND PERSISTENCE